Child Sexual Exploitation 27/2025

FOI Reference: 27/2025

Request

I would like to request under the Freedom of Information act, information held by you on group-based child sexual exploitation.

In particular, I would like to know what definition, if any, you use to identify group-based child sexual exploitation.

Have you a dedicated team investigating group-based child sexual exploitation? If so, how many officers, by rank, are involved in this team?

If there is no dedicated team, how do you investigate allegations of group-based child sexual exploitation?

I would like to know how many investigations into group-based child sexual exploitation you have carried out since 2000. I would like this figure broken down by year, if possible.

I would also like to know the number of suspects arrested as part of these investigations and the number subsequently charged. If possible I would like a breakdown of the age, sex and ethnicity of those arrested and charged.

I would also like to know the number of people convicted, again with a breakdown of the age, sex and ethnicity of those convicted.

Response

Section 1 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 places two duties on public authorities. Unless exemptions apply, the first duty at Section 1(1)(a) is to confirm or deny whether the information specified in a request is held. The second duty at Section 1(1)(b) is to disclose information that has been confirmed as being held.

I can confirm that the cost of determining whether any information relative to this request is or isn’t held is above the amount to which we are legally required to respond therefore we are withholding the whole of the requested information since we consider that the Section 12 (2) exemption the Cost of Compliance exceeds the Appropriate Limit applies to it.

Where exemptions are relied upon Section 17 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 requires Dyfed Powys Police, when refusing to provide such information (because the information is exempt) to provide you the applicant with a notice which: (a) states that fact, (b) specifies the exemption in question and (c) states (if that would not otherwise be apparent) why the exemption applies. The following exemption has been applied to the whole of the information you have requested:

Section 12(2) – The cost of compliance exceeds the Appropriate Limit

Section 12(2) states: “…Subsection (1) does not exempt the public authority from its obligation to comply with paragraph (a) of section 1(1) unless the estimated cost of complying with that paragraph alone would exceed the appropriate limit.”

The cost of determining what information is held, if any, relevant to your request is above the amount to which we are legally required to respond i.e. the cost of locating and retrieving the information exceeds the “appropriate level” as stated in the Freedom of Information (Fees and Appropriate Limit) Regulations 2004. It is estimated that it would exceed 18 hours (i.e. minimum of 124 hours) to comply with your request. The regulations can be located @ https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2004/3244

The Freedom of Information department has been advised that some of the information in respect of your request is not held in an easily retrievable format. In light of this and in order to accurately obtain the information relative to your request for the time frame stipulated it would involve Dyfed Powys Police accessing and manually reviewing 1,493 records.

The Force only started recorded data for the number of crimes flagged as CSE from 2017 onwards.

CSE flagged crimes

2017 – 143 Records

2018 – 127 Records

2019 – 130 Records

2020 – 175 Records

2021 – 421 Records

2022 – 369 Records

2023 to 31st May – 92 Records

The introduction of a different system introduced in June 2023, saw the process change to flag the victim with a CSE flag and not the crime occurrence.

June 2023 to December 2024 = 36 flagged nominals

Each of these records would have to be manually reviewed. It is not possible to provided a timescale for each occurrence, as they will vary in length of complexity.  However, it has been established that calculated at a minimum of 5 minutes each to review and obtain the information for a single record in respect of your request, the process outlined would result in the below time estimate.

 1,493 Records x 5 minutes per record = 124 hours

Time estimate to complete task = 124 hours

In accordance therefore with the Freedom of Information Act 2000, this letter acts as a Refusal Notice for the Whole of this request under Section 17(5) A public authority which, in relation to any request for information, is relying on a claim that section 12 or section 14 applies must, within the time for complying with section 1(1), give the applicant a notice stating that fact.

You may wish to refine and resubmit your request so that it reduces the time shown above to fall within the 18 hours, should you require any further advice in relation to this matter please don’t hesitate to contact the Freedom of Information Unit. Please also be advised that should the request be refined, it does not remove the public authorities right to cite exemptions if relevant.

(This is a response under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and disclosed on 05/02/2025)